Thursday, November 3, 2016

Florida Vote Fraud: A Case Study of the Need for Open, Fair and Honest Elections

The
Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) fights for open, fair and honest elections. A prime example of the need for this is what
is going on right now in Florida. Let us
explain.

Open
Elections

The
Broward County Supervisor of Elections “engaged in ongoing violations of
Florida law governing the canvassing of vote-by-mail ballots [absentee ballots].
[T]ens of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots in Broward County are being opened
by your staff: (1) before they have been canvassed by the county canvassing
board; and (2) without providing the public the opportunity to review or file a
protest against the canvass of a ballot believed to be legally deficient. These
illegal actions must stop immediately.” [Letter from the Republican Party of Florida to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, Nov. 2, 2016.]

Under
pressure and possible legal action, Snipes is now opening the processing a little bit but not enough. An RNLA member was key to shining sunlight on this process.

How
can there be confidence in the system when one election official is counting
ballots illegally behind closed doors?

Gladys Coego, 74, a temporary Election Support Specialist for the Miami-Dade
Elections Department tasked with opening mail-in ballots and scanning them into
the machine, is accused of marking ballot choices that were originally left
blank, according to CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald. . . . In a second arrest, police said Tomika
Curgil, 33, filled out voter-registration forms for five citizens without their
consent and submitted at least 17 forms for people believed to not exist,
including several who are dead.

By
mid-October, Susan Halperin became concerned that she and her husband hadn't
received their absentee ballots in the mail.
So Lawrence Halperin called the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections
Office to find out what was going on. He was stunned to learn their ballots had
already been cast. Someone had stolen the Halperins' ballots, faked their
signatures and voted. . . .Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel said they were
among five voters in three homes in Spring Valley whose absentee ballots were
stolen and then fraudulently submitted with votes cast by someone else.

No one
thinks these are the only cases; just the only ones who got caught. Why does this matter? Every fraudulent vote overrides a legitimate,
real vote and disenfranchises an honest, eligible voter.

Florida
is just one state but it shows the need for open, fair and honest
elections. The RNLA seeks to promote
open, fair and honest elections at all levels of American society in a
non-discriminatory manner and to provide access to the polls to all qualified
and eligible voters. Through its efforts, the RNLA strives to strengthen the
faith and confidence of all citizens of the United States in their government
and the electoral process.